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28.07.09
How to photograph an english garden
Words by Anna Stowe
While not a fan of the back-breaking work necessary to create a beautiful garden, I can think of few more pleasant days out than exploring the fruits of other people’s labour, camera in hand. And whether you live in a busy city, a small town or truly out in the wilds of the British countryside, you will never be far from the haven of peace and sensual delight that is the well-designed and nurtured garden.
An excellent book to help you find a garden close to home is The Good Gardens Guide, edited by Peter King and Katherine Lambert. Updated annually and divided into sections by county, it not only gives details of opening times, prices and facilities but also a brief history and description of each garden so you know what to look for and when. The Yellow Book lists gardens that are open for charity. Most of these gardens are privately owned and many are only open one or two days a year, but the owners will often agree to show you round by appointment.
Once you have selected your garden, the next step is to keep an eye on the weather. Wind is the enemy of the garden photographer and I tend to forget any idea of garden photography if the forecast predicts winds above 10mph. Whilst a little creative blur is great in one or two pictures, you don’t really want it intruding into the whole shoot. Rain will beat down more delicate plants and they’ll need a few hours of dry weather to perk up again.
The best conditions are still and dry, with a thin layer of cloud, so that the light is bright but softly diffused. Colours will be richer and you can bring out more detail, especially in close-ups, without harsh contrasts complicating matters. Generally speaking, most of the interest is at fairly low level, making it easy to crop out bland skies.
However, sunshine can be used to good advantage too. Face into the sun to capture the translucency of backlit leaves and petals, or use the shadows cast by ornamental features and architectural plants as part of the image. They can be useful lead-in lines drawing the viewer into the garden, or create a strong graphic composition if you zoom in close isolating the shadow and part of its object in the frame.
The first time I go to a garden, I initially wander around without taking photographs. It helps me get a feel for the design style and ambience, and allows me to start mentally composing shots without getting distracted by technicalities. By the time I have thoroughly explored, I’m itching to open the camera bag and start shooting!
I find it’s best to work systematically. Having chosen an area to start on, I begin by taking images of the wider view – using the 24-105mm at its wider end – following the basic compositional rules of landscape photography: looking for foreground interest which may be a specimen plant, ornament or seat, placing focal points of interest on intersecting thirds, using lead-in lines such as paths, streams, and flower beds, finding natural frames created by arbours, foliage and arches.
Usually I set a small aperture to maximise depth-of-field, but if there is a focal point of special interest, such as a colourful group of plants surrounded by greenery or a garden sculpture, I will experiment with wider apertures to throw everything else out of focus and maximise its impact.
Next I go in closer, picking out details, often changing to the 70-300mm – the juxtaposition of hard landscaping and planting, a water feature or statue, the arrangement of a garden seat with pots around it. Here, less is definitely more! Try to understand why the designer created this particular arrangement and how he intended it to be viewed.
Finally, I will use my macro lens to take close-ups of flowers, carefully selecting only perfect specimens, and again going in ever closer with increasingly abstract results. I tend to work with the lens at its maximum aperture, especially when photographing flowers as I find this produces beautiful soft swirls of colour.
Try to vary the height at which you take pictures. Often a bird’s eye view provides a whole new appreciation of a garden’s design – so climb the steps, stand on a bench or even ask if it’s possible to take a picture from an upstairs room. Conversely, a worm’s eye view can give a really intimate feel to your shots, so don’t be afraid to lie down and use your elbows or a beanbag for support – you will be too absorbed to notice the strange looks!
Above all take it slowly, and always remember to stop and smell the roses!
KIT BAG
For a garden photography session, I use my Canon EOS-1Ds MkII, but any SLR will do. For DSLRs with cropped sensors, a focal length range of 18-200mm is ideal. I use a selection; my 24-105mm, 70-300mm and 100mm macro.
And there’s nearly always a polarizer on my lens, to saturate colours by removing glare and reflections from leaves, petals and water. It needs to be really clean though to prevent flare. Another useful tool for minimising flare when shooting into the sun is a lens hood.
I also wouldn’t be without my piece of white card. It’s useful to shade the sun or reflect light into shadow areas when taking close-ups.
A tripod is handy too, but check with gardeners first, as some public gardens ban them. Go on a quiet day (mid week or when overcast) and ask nicely, then most places will allow you to use one. Just make sure you don’t block the paths or damage plants with the legs.
And finally, a remote release is essential in the fight against camera shake. Alternatively, you could use your camera’s self-timer. I also set mirror lock-up for my macro shots.
GET INSPIRED
It shouldn’t be hard to get fired up to take gorgeous garden shots. For inspiration, simply step outside your front door, take a trip to a public garden or wander around your local garden centre or nursery. Or if you prefer to get your inspiration while reclining in a (deck) chair, check out these books and websites.
Books:
The Good Gardens Guide
edited by Peter King & Katherine Lambert
Published by Francis Lincoln
ISBN-13: 978-0711227446
The Yellow Book 2008 – NGS Gardens Open For Charity
Published by ngs
ISBN-13: 978-1905942091
Websites:
ngs.org.uk
britainsfinest.co.uk/gardens
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